slow cooker pork carnitas

One of my goals this year is to post more recipes on my blog. We're still adopting a whole new approach to food in our family, and a huge part of that is cooking whole, healthy and delicious foods.  I really enjoy cooking, but for me it has to be practical.   This means relatively simple, not a huge amount of time, and something my kids will eat (or at least eat a version of).  Extra bonus if cooking yields leftovers we can enjoy for another dinner, or a lunch.   This recipe falls into that category.  In fact, it  makes so much you can freeze half of the meat for another meal in a few weeks when you're hankering it again.

To say I love my Crockpot is an understatement.  Andrew got me a fancy new one for Christmas and I've already given it a whirl.  If you don't own a Crockpot, what are you waiting for?  Its the best $40 you'll ever spend.  Whip up dinner in the morning while you sip your morning coffee and be done with it.  I seriously use mine at least twice a week.  They could not be easier to use.  Two rules:  nonstick spray, and use enough liquid.  Years ago I forget what we were trying to make, but we forget to add the broth and by the time we got home from work the beef that had once been a lovely robust roast was shriveled into something I could have used to patch my car tire.

There is nothing worse though, than spending all the time and energy on a new recipe, only to sit down at the table and have it turn out to be a bust.  One family of food which is always a hit when we're dining in or out is Mexican.  My kids love beans, tortillas, cheese, sour cream...   So even though they might not be daring enough to try this delicious pork filling (yet), we can whip up a side of black beans and cheese quesadillas with ingredients we already have out for this meal.

Pork Carnitas
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (3 or 4 pound) boneless pork shoulder roast
2 bay leaves
2 cups chicken broth
2 limes

What to do:
Spray Crockpot with non-stick spray. Mix together salt, garlic powder, cumin, and cinnamon in a bowl. Coat pork with the spice mixture. Place the bay leaves in the bottom of a slow cooker and place the pork on top. Pour the chicken broth around the sides of the pork, being careful not to rinse off the spice mixture.

Cover and cook on low for about 8-10 hours. When the pork is tender, shred using two forks. The cooking liquid will moisten the meat perfectly. Squeeze fresh lime juice over shredded meat.  If there seems to be a lot of liquid don't worry, you'll want to store the leftovers with the liquid so the meat stays moist.

Delicious Toppings:

• fresh sliced avocado
• sour cream
• shredded monterey jack cheese
• fresh cilantro (optional)
• marinated red onions (cut red onion into slices in the morning once you've got the crock pot going with the meat.  Place in shallow dish and soak in red wine vinegar until dinner time).  YUM.  To me, this makes the whole meal.

Place some of the shredded pork, and whichever of the above toppings suit your fancy, into a warm flour or corn tortilla and bite into heaven.

Serve with black beans and while you're at it, sprinkle a little diced onion and sour cream on those too.